Is Anduin really going to change the face of Warcraft? A closer look at the Before the Storm excerpt

We’ve seen a lot of hype over Before the Storm, the upcoming novel from Christie Golden that leads into the events of Battle for Azeroth. Now we have an official excerpt from the book, and it’s an interesting bit of meta-narrative because it’s a letter from Anduin Wrynn to Sylvanas Widnrunner. I’m not sure if a spoiler warning counts here — it’s an official excerpt released as a promotion for the novel — but just in case, if you’re staying away from any hints about this novel then read no further.

The letter from Anduin is far from the bellicose declaration you might expect considering we know that the beginning of Battle for Azeroth is full scale war between the Alliance and the Horde. Instead, it’s a restrained, cautious one but definitely one that tries to set up a detente between the factions, and moreover it’s the first time any Alliance leader has acknowledged that the Forsaken are, by and large, dead Humans. In the letter, Anduin proposes a single day’s ceasefire, and a meeting between surviving Alliance who lost loved ones to the Scourge… and any Forsaken who are those loved ones. It’s a frankly shocking proposal and not one I can imagine Genn Greymane being happy with, and without spoiling the novel we can only speculate on how Sylvanas would take it.

It’s a heck of a development from a lore standpoint, but one that’s consistent with Anduin as a character — he’s always been interested in peace between the Alliance and the Horde, he’s always been an openly empathetic leader and it’s not out of his character to reach out like this. But it’s still a significant step, and if it bears fruit in the future it could well lead to other things. Imagine if the Forsaken and Humans actually came to terms with their shared origin? Imagine if Forsaken were actually accepted by Humans, and in turn, no longer sought to murder them all with plague? This would be an enormous change in Warcraft. Which means it’s not likely to happen, but still, I can dream.

Before the Storm is available for pre-order now and will be available for purchase on June 12.